Hi there.
It’s been a minute.
I’m weeks behind my self-imposed publishing deadline, which I’m sure many of you have felt acutely. Amigos, thank you. I see you.
Each day, I wake up, make coffee, and try to ingest a daily dose of sanity (i.e, meditation). Then, I hold hands with the extraterrestrial life that is my cellphone and scroll for updates on the end of the world. All the while, life as we know it is paused. Every plan made, all those wants and wishes, visions of tomorrow — all shifted. An alternate reality.
How do you write about that?
As Albert Camus wrote in “The Plague,” the microbe has no meaning; we seek to create one in the chaos it brings.
- Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
They say you have to write to write, so here goes. My attempts at meaning.
Attempt at meaning, #1
Attempt at meaning, #2
“If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick everyday.”
- Leonard Cohen
Attempt at meaning, #3 — Healthcare’s silver 'linings
I’ve rationally decided to adopt an irrationally optimistic mindset through this time. I’ll hunt for silver linings like kids trying to count butterflies.
Yes, I know, it is getting annoying, all the tropes around “Look on the bright side,” “Constraints fuel creativity,” “Necessity is the mother of innovation.” Let’s be honest. This time is weird and hard and will likely only get harder. But positive thinking is good for your health, so I’m all in.
Looking at our healthcare system, this crisis could catalyze a few big changes that have been years in the making.
1. A focus on preventative, noninvasive treatment (i.e., what happens when there’s no miracle drug)
You’ve all seen the curve. We don’t have enough beds, ventilators, masks, and medicine. We don’t even know which medicine works. So the only real option is prevention. Stay at home. Wash your hands. 6 feet minimums.
Prevention works, and not just for COVID. 90% of the nation’s annual $3.5 trillion in healthcare expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, to name a few. Prevention drastically reduces these costs, and the approach is simple: behavioral changes, like eating healthy foods, exercise, and smoking cessation, and early medical intervention when needed.
It’s so obvious, yet dollars keep going to drugs. Perhaps having the entire world engage in a public health campaign focused on prevention will remind the post-COVID world that actions are often the best, cheapest medicine.
Photo: ABC7
2. Greater access to care … on the world wide web!
Telehealth in the United States has had a lot of promise, but was often held back because of arcane regulations. Something like:
If you’re licensed in this state you can practice in these states by not those states, but only if you saw the patient in person 6 days and 11 hours and 59 seconds prior, if they are from that state, and make sure you use this code and not that code, but only for this insurance company. Oh, and make sure patients click through and read and sign lots of fine print because the Internet is a scary place.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve started to see major improvements in both regulations and reimbursements (i.e., insurance companies paying for care delivered online). There remains a big question as to whether these laxer rules will lead to a real shift post-COVID, but given that homebound life might become a new normal, I’m cautiously hopeful.
3. Rethinking the absurdity of employer-sponsored health benefits
Nearly 60% of non-elderly Americans get insurance through their employer.
3.3M Americans filed for unemployment insurance in March, and this is just the beginning. While the not all companies offer healthcare benefits (i.e., lower coverage in retail), there are a growing number of workers who are losing their jobs and benefits in one fell swoop. They now need to find several hundred dollars a month for coverage.
I’ve written in the past about why HR managers are America’s sleeper policymakers. When times are good, and unemployment is low, this can work out for workers. You can get rich benefits packages, from health insurance to wellness perks. Plus, employers are often leaders in pushing forward healthcare innovation, particularly on disease prevention and mental health.
In a time of unprecedented crisis, though, it’s no longer feasible for employees to count on the benevolence of an employer. Budget cuts go deep, and incentives to prevent long term health costs are trumped by shot term needs.
It’s a long shot, but perhaps COVID will be the catalyst for a real public option.
Party on.
Survival tips
A few personal suggestions to promote sanity and health 😳😜
📚 Get your reading list in order. Currently reading Apeirogon by Colum McCann. Re-read Untethered Soul by Michael Snger. Prescient.
💨 Remember to breath (from your belly!) with Breathwrk.Simple, free.
🙏 Find peace in your living room with Kensho Health’s curated collection of free classes and workshops.
💸 Figure out your business strategy with Kyle Westway’s very helpful playbook for entrepreneurs (i.e., a breakdown of the unsexy but highly important loans, taxes, and legal options)
🦄 Go wild on Zoom and download the Snap Camera. And then make sure you get off Zoom and your computer and get fresh air.
🌳 Make friends with plants during slow strolls in the neighborhood.
Choose a happy song. This is mine
💗 Give. Time, money, positive vibes, a phone call. Whatever you can.
Finally, if you do one thing: be kind to yourself. The rest gets easier.
Sending hugs from Los Angeles.